Chaceley Meadow SSSI
Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England
Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | Gloucestershire |
---|---|
Grid reference | SO857306 |
Coordinates | 51°58′27″N 2°12′32″W / 51.97413°N 2.20885°W / 51.97413; -2.20885 |
Interest | biological |
Area | 1.8 ha (4.4 acres) |
Notification | 1954 |
Natural England website |
Chaceley Meadow ( grid reference SO857306 ) is a 1.8-hectare (4.4-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire , notified in 1954 and renotified in 1993. [1] [2] It lies on the eastern edge of Chaceley village and is about half a mile west of the River Severn .
The site is listed in the ‘Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan to 2011’, adopted March 2006, Appendix 3 'Nature Conservation',' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). [3]
The site is owned (bought in 1994) and managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust . It is one of the county's finest unimproved wet meadows . Though it is some distance from the River Severn the meadow may flood in winter. [4]
Plants
A colourful variety of flowers may be seen throughout spring and summer. These include cuckoo flower , marsh-marigold , great burnet , meadowsweet , common knapweed , meadow vetchling , marsh ragwort, meadow buttercup , sorrel , ragged-robin , reed canary-grass , sweet vernal-grass and meadow brome . The wet conditions encourage many sedges including brown sedge , oval sedge , yellow sedge and carnation sedge . The slender spike-rush ( Eleocharis uniglumis ) grows in this meadow which is rare in Gloucestershire. [4]
Surroundings
The meadow is surrounded by mature hawthorn and blackthorn hedge and includes old white willow pollards . This habitat supports many birds, including tawny owl and turtle dove . [4]
Conservation
The meadow is traditionally managed by a late summer hay cut, which allows wildflowers to set their seeds. There is then cattle grazing. The willow pollards are recut regularly to reduce the risk of splitting. [4] There are earlier cuts every 3 years to help to increase the frequency of rarer species found in the field which include common knapweed , yellow rattle , cuckoo flower , bird's foot trefoil and marsh bedstraw . This helps remove nutrients at the peak of the hay growing season. [5]
Publications
- Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al. , 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
References
- ↑ Natural England SSSI information on the citation
- ↑ Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan to 2011, adopted March 2006, Appendix 3 'Nature Conservation', Sites of Special Scientific Interest Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan to 2011, adopted March 2006, Appendix 3 'Nature Conservation', Key Wildlife Sites Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- 1 2 3 4 Kelham, A, Sanderson, J, Doe, J, Edgeley-Smith, M, et al, 1979, 1990, 2002 editions, 'Nature Reserves of the Gloucestershire Trust for Nature Conservation/Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust'
- ↑ Natural England report on the unit status
SSSI source
External links
- Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
- Natural England (SSSI information)